Gensokyo Loved by the Gods
by Writer Frantic
Summary: A collection of one-shots of Touhou. Most of them will be bittersweet, so read at your own risk of feels. This time: Love with Sanae Kochiya.
1. The Unknown Paradise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Touhou or its affiliates. Image is Yukari Yakumo of Touhou Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, game made by Team Shanghai and Twilight Frontier. Under ZUN copyright rules, it is believed that usage is permitted as long as properly attributed.**

The Unknown Paradise

It was a warm day when Yukari Yakumo felt death creep for her. Or rather, when death knocked on the front door and found nobody able to answer. Or rather, when Komachi kicked the door open rather forcefully.

"Heyo Yukari!" The shinigami cheerfully greeted upon entering the youkai's room. On Yukari's part, she did nothing but turn her head back to the single window of her lonely bedroom, a room entirely blank and empty. "How have you been? Haven't heard from you in the last decade or so!"

She was faking the tone, Yukari could tell, but the youkai of Gensokyo knew better than to call Komachi out on that. There was a good reason for it after all; Komachi didn't want to think about her own encroaching death that would soon follow after the reaping of Yukari's soul. "Hello Komachi. I'm sorry for not having saved you from the Yama's lectures these past few years."

Here, the red haired woman flinched and turned her head. What...? Yukari thought about it for a second before realizing with a soft gasp. "Oh...oh."

"Yeah, since not as many souls are coming...Eiki's been reassigned a few years ago. The ministry reckoned that...I could finish the job alone and gave me the role. I'm basically the acting god of death right now for...here." Komachi choked briefly, trying to keep going as her scythe trembled in her shaking hands. "They...they didn't even give her a chance to say goodbye one last time. Last I heard from her, she's actually becoming quite a big star in the courts."

"I...I see." Yukari fell silent, sighing as she felt yet another soul slip through her grasp, another part of Gensokyo now gone forever. A quick check confirmed it; as of now, Yukari Yakumo and Komachi Onozuka were the last residents- and memories- of the Eastern Wonderland. "Well, much like everybody else, at least she has a better future past us."

"Ye-ah-ah. It's just...it's just..." Komachi shut her eyes and clenched her fists, trying so hard not to break down. In the end though, a few heartbeats later, she failed and the grim reaper bawled. "I don't want to let go! All these wonderful memories, all of this amazing fun, all of this-! Why are you so goddamn calm?! Don't you miss them, you gap hag-!"

"Komachi!" Yukari barked, shocking the sobbing woman out of her self-centered misery. "You know as well as I do that...yes. I miss them everyday." The blonde lowered her face until her hair bangs shadowed her face, so as to avoid letting Komachi see her own tears.

A torrent of memories poured forth as Yukari finally let loose her heart, allowing the youkai to freely sob and cry at the fleeting dream that was the paradise from an advancing world. She couldn't help but dig up certain scenes in her mind to laugh and cry about, remembering every incident, every moment with such acute detail for such a carefree protector. They flew by her mind, the bittersweet memoirs of her beloved Gensokyo.

Reimu, Marisa, and Alice all shouting and chasing at Yukari when she stole their collective lunches to eat for herself.

Remilia and Flandre, both sisters united as one as they aimed to punish the hag who disturbed their daytime slumber whilst the rest of the Scarlet Devil Mansion looked on in mild amusement.

Mokou and Kaguya brawling, with gaps protecting the forest and the onlookers from Eientei and villagers inside from the dangerous fight to the death.

Yuyuko and Youmu both enjoying the winter weather together with the golden haired woman in the Netherworld as ghosts played for them.

Satori enjoying the company of her two pets as the oni and the youkai of gaps competed in drinking.

Aya and her tengu friends all trying to grab the elusive blonde as she snapped photos of them all trying to bargain with Nitori for some of that camo technology.

Sanae and her goddesses being welcomed into this world for the first time, the first outsiders with faith in the unknown.

Tenshi brat and her exasperated guardian causing much ruckus for the land, but both being stopped by Yukari herself as she looked at them with a very angry smile.

Cirno and her fairy friends all having a game of tag whilst the youkai meddled via gaping them all around.

Komachi being lectured by the yama after the blonde gapped Eiki to catch the red head napping on the job.

Yuuka and her servants all simply welcoming the gap hag for tea.

The Taoists and Buddhists arguing with each other over what they thought the mightiest youkai in Gensokyo religiously believed in (the answer was none of the above).

Ran teaching Chen about how to properly cook a fish while Yukari sneakily ate said meat.

Yukari murmured to herself as the line of memories slowly came to an end, each of the persons leaving Gensokyo in their own way. "I...I think that that's what makes dreams so beautiful. They're fleeting, so you can appreciate their beauty for the brief second they exist.

"A dream will turn into a nightmare if it goes on too long. And so, like everything we do, we should at least give a proper farewell. Komachi." The heaviness of her bones suddenly weighed on Yukari as she slowly got out of bed for the first time in a year, her form frail from the effort of keeping the dream alive for just a few more decades. Just enough time for everybody to move on. "I think...I think that your break time is up."

"It is," The shinigami mournfully placed a hand on Yukari's shoulder. "I...for what it's worth, I loved Gensokyo. I wished we could have just live in that single moment forever."

"Single moment...?" The blonde thought about it before a final image surfaced in her mind, and as she felt death's scythe finally take her soul, Yukari smiled at that final memory.

The flower viewing picnic everybody had attended. How fitting.

O O O

"Huh?" Maribel Hearn looked behind her, eyes blinking rapidly as she stopped on the crest of a bridge. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Renko Usami impatiently asked as she paused in her stride for her friend. "I don't see anything."

"I...it must be nothing. It's just, for a second, I thought I smelled flowers."

"Of course you would, it's flower-viewing season! Now c'mon, we're going to be late meeting with our informant!"

"Oh-h right! Let's go!" Together, the two girls ran off into the busy city of Tokyo, unfazed by the slightest of the faintest of sighs from the people around them.

They didn't notice the three ladies reading in the library, two blonde and one with purple hair.

They didn't notice a serious-faced black haired woman arguing ferociously with a light-purpled haired woman with a cheekier expression.

They didn't notice the two young sisters sipping tea as a white haired woman held up an umbrella to shade them from the sun.

They didn't notice the blue haired child laughing as she played tag with her friends in the streets.

They didn't notice the purple haired woman fanning herself casually as a white haired woman served her snacks.

They didn't notice the magenta haired mind-reader looking carefully into a crystal ball whilst petting a raven and a cat at the same time.

They didn't notice the green haired woman glancing after both Renko and Maribel and then following them closely with a curious expression.

They didn't notice the red haired shinigami looking wistfully from a boat going under the bridge that the two had just crossed. "You know Yukari," Komachi Onozoka muttered as she finally felt Gensokyo die and her powers as the ferryman of the Sanzu River fade away, "You could've told me at least about the future of Gensokyo."

Which there is none of course, but Gensokyo is, and always will be, a part of the world. And, as Reimu and Yukari ran to meet their next adventure together, they would always have friends behind them. Even if they didn't know, Komachi and the other residents of the Gensokyo would follow them, chasing after that fleeting dream of paradise. After all, what good is beauty if no work was put into finding it?

 **A/N: I normally don't write fanfictions of characters in the series, but I was inspired by the songs of Touhou to do so. Specifically, SWR Darkening Dusk. This just reminds me of my own ambitions for my own characters in the series, a hope that one day, somebody would write the same way about my characters much like this. Depending on feedback, maybe I'll write more, but no new ideas as of now.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading and please leave a review. All are appreciated.**


	2. Blink

Blink

Marisa Kirisame was excited today.

But of course though, today began just like any other. Wake up, get dressed, get breakfast, get ready, grab the Hakkero, grab her broom, and then take off! As the chilly Gensokyo air ruffled her large witch's hat, the blonde quickly went over her plans for today.

First on her to-do list was the traditional visit to the Hakurei Shrine to bother Reimu for snacks. After that, a trip to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to "borrow" some books, then an unexpected drop-in to Alice's home for lunch! Today was going to be great.

Ah, there it was: the shrine. Nimbly dodging under the big red torri, Marisa allowed her broom to drift slowly to the paved ground and made sure her feet were touching the stone pate before slipping off her broom. "Yo Reimu!" The witch hollered, as was the tradition every time she came.

And indeed, the sliding door to the inside of the shrine moved as a black haired girl poked her head out to identify her visitor. "Oh. Hey Marisa." Reimu Hakurei sighed and opened the door wider. "Come on in, I guess."

"Sweet, thanks!" With that, Marisa stepped over the threshold and laid her broom on the wall next to the door. She also took off her large witch hat and shoved it under her arm, a show of at least some decency as the witch sat down on the shrine's floor.

As for Reimu, the miko dipped into the shrine's meager kitchen to grab a bowl of oranges, placing them on the low table between the two youkai exterminators and sitting down to match her friend's position. "You know Marisa, at this rate, I WILL run out of funds to keep me going."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll donate something." Which she never did, and both girls knew that. Reimu would always find something at the bottom of her donation box (possibly given by that gap hag), Marisa would claim that it was her, and all would continue on like this autumn's day. The two were perfectly happy as they quietly snacked on the oranges between them.

Then Marisa's perfect day was shattered when Reimu casually remarked, "You haven't blinked once today."

"Eh?" The blonde stuttered, trying to hide her panic. "What do you mean Reimu?"

"I thought something was off when you first came in. Your aura was...stronger. At first, I thought it was just my tired eyes, but now...I'm sure." The shrine maiden closed her eyes and slumped in her position, crashing back against the building's floor as she sighed. "You...you've become the full youkai magician haven't you?"

Immediately, a torrent of apologies spewed out of Marisa. "Reimu, I didn't mean to! I...I just found this cool tome from Patchouli and opened it, it had some kinda cool potion in it, and I thought, 'Hey, it would be cool to make this!' and I made it and I drank it and then Alice came over-"

"No need to explain yourself Marisa," Reimu tiredly said, rubbing her eyes. "I'm fine with you becoming youkai."

"What?!" The witch jumped up, nearly flipping the table of oranges as she pointed at the miko. "But isn't your job to exterminate people who become youkai?! Why aren't you attacking me now then?!"

"Is that what you want?" The blonde flinched at how callous those words sounded as the shrine maiden looked into Marisa's unblinking golden eyes. "Do you really want to fight me?"

"Heck yeah I do! And let's not bother with danmaku rules, let's go all out! I brought my Hakkero-"

"Marisa. You're trying to provoke me into exterminating you for real." Now, Reimu's voice was layered with pity and understanding as she stood up and grabbed her friend's shoulder with both hands. "And I understand why you want to."

"What? Me wanting to be exterminated? Don't be silly-"

"You want to die." All the bravado rushed out of the witch as her shoulders slumped and her head fell downwards. "You...you don't want this immortal life."

"No...no, I don't," Marisa whispered, choking on her words. "I...I don't want to blink anymore Reimu. I'm terrified."

"Why?" That one damned question. That one simply inquisitive word.

"Because I don't want to let go of you." Finally, the blonde raised her head, her eyes puffy from trying to be brave. "I...I'm scared of this immortality! I don't want to loose value for human life, and if I blink even for a second-!"

"It's alright," Reimu reassured, hugging her companion as her own tears leaked out. "Human life...to immortals, it's just a blink of the eye right? But you can't go on forever not blinking. Marisa."

"Please. No."

"Blink."

With that, the youkai witch Marisa Kirisame closed her eyes and opened them.

The young, youthful shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei was no more. Now, standing in front of Marisa Kirisame was the revered and ancient Reimu Hakurei of Gensokyo, an elderly lady who still had the same smile as the day the witch blinked. A flood of memories flew past her mind, just brief glimpses at what the blonde witch and the black haired shrine maiden had done in the last few decades.

And yet, as Marisa remained her eternal teenage self, Reimu grew old. Her body slowed, her eyes lost some of that luster, and her skin grew gnarled. Her hair grew grey and her life force grew weaker everyday. Reimu Hakurei was dying everyday.

But still, the blonde witch visited. Barged into the shrine, demanded snacks, and just talked with the elderly lady as they casually ate together. Those days, however, were coming to an end, and Marisa's magic knew it.

"How was it?" Reimu rasped, her voice now husky from all those years of yelling and shouting at those troublesome fairies. "How was blinking?"

"It's...it's not so bad," The blonde admitted, sniffing as she allowed the older human to hug her. "I...I could get used to it."

"Good. Now, blink again."

This time, when Marisa Kirisame opened her eyes, she was standing in front of a gravestone.

The funeral was a sad affair for all. Humans and youkai alike turned up to pay their final respects to one of the biggest cornerstones of Gensokyo. Even Yuuka had turned up to plant some flowers on Reimu's grave. Everybody had something to say about the last Hakurei shrine maiden.

Then panic came in when Yukari mentioned that she wasn't sure how long she could keep the Great Barrier up without Reimu. She would try looking for a substitute, but everybody could already tell that the blonde youkai spent more time trying to convince the shrine maiden to become a youkai so as to keep everyday the same. But of course, Reimu rejected the offer every time.

And now, the residents of Gensokyo were leaving. Sanae and the Moriya gods had already vanished, back into the outside world most likely. The oni were getting ready to live underground indefinitely. The celestials were sealing up Heaven.

As for Marisa...

"Hey." The blonde witch in a black and white outfit turned to see another blonde witch, this time in a blue and white dress. Alice Margatoid. "Patchouli is all ready with the spell. Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, I...I'm just visiting her grave one last time."

"I see." Alice then too bowed her head as she paid respects to the deceased shrine maiden. After a while, they both eventually raised their respective heads and turned away from Reimu's grave, walking together through the Forest of Magic to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Neither of them were really in the mood to fly as they took their last stroll through their former home. "You have everything packed?"

"Well, I took everything that wasn't nailed down," Marisa responded with a cheeky grin. "Where do you think the spell will take us?"

"I hope Makai. Mother would be glad to welcome us all back."

"Eh, I don't look forward to Yumeko everyday though."

"I do suppose that is quite...discouraging." Alice grimaced, then snapped her fingers as she reached into her dress and pull out a doll. "Oh, and here, I made this for you."

"For me? You shouldn't have," Marisa joked as she took the porcelain figure and looked at it, Immediately, all the breath left her body as she recognized who it was.

Reimu Hakurei.

"I thought that having this would keep you sane," The doll-maker casually remarked, tapping the locked book at her hip."Just don't go and Master Spark whatever moon we get to, alright?"

"Oh...okay." Marisa was half-listening at this point as she hugged the doll, remembering just how much Reimu meant to her. How much her life changed because of a single blink.

Then, with a deep breath, the blonde witch blinked.

 **A/N: Part of my headcanon says that Marisa will one day become a full youkai witch, and I was inspired by the quote "To immortals, human life is but a blink of an eye." So I took it quite literally and wrote this.**


	3. A Goddesses' Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Touhou or its affiliates.**

A Goddesses' Love

When Sanae heard first of Gensokyo, she was still a teenager who longed for the reality that only dreams could afford. She longed for a world in which she could do whatever she wanted, whatever she desired, whatever she needed. The outside world would not be that place; it was too conforming, too strict, too closed up.

And so, upon hearing that her family's personal (and somewhat forgotten) goddesses' intent to move there, she begged them to take the growing girl with them. Kanako was strictly against it, arguing that she deserved something better than two very old deities who nobody believed in anymore. Suwako remained neutral, simply saying that her descendant could do whatever she wanted and that she really could care less about her. That was a lie and everybody knew it.

In the end, Kanako gave in to Sanae's pleading and took her along with the entire shrine to Gensokyo with what little faith she had stored up for the past few decades. But of course, it's never that easy is it? Especially when they suddenly hit some kind of wall trying to enter, some spiritual barrier that even the combined powers of the two goddess' could not break.

Then they met Yukari Yakumo, the Gap Youkai, the mother of Gensokyo. One of two guardians of the Great Barrier that protected Gensokyo from outsiders like the Moriya shrine residents. There was a heated argument between Kanako and Yukari (Sanae swore she heard various insults thrown about their respective ages), but eventually, the blonde woman sighed and opened up a gap in the barrier. "Just be sure to cause plenty of trouble for the Hakurei shrine alright?" The youkai mischievously asked as the three stepped into a new world.

It was everything Sanae could've asked for. A land where her gods could actually thrive with followers from the youkai. A land where she was free to do whatever she wanted, however she wanted, whenever she wanted. A land where the people judged her not by her conforming path but by how different she was compared to others. For once in her life, Sanae was truly happy and could put on a real smile.

Her rival and friend, Reimu Hakurei, was the other shrine maiden of Gensokyo and was the other half that made up the Great Barrier. Together, the two went on many adventures within this wonderland, solving incidents and making new friends as they welcomed even more to this seal-off paradise. Kanako and Suwako had granted their ward the power of miracles for this reason, and it never once failed Sanae. It seemed like Gensokyo would never grow dull.

However, as the years passed, Sanae saw Reimu grow old. That was alright, she was human like that, the green haired girl knowing that she would follow that path. But that wasn't true.

For ever year that Reimu grew older, Sanae barely changed. Sure, she grew older into a mature woman, but compared to her friend, she was a young bud to an ancient oak. There was something amiss, and the Moriya shrine maiden became concerned. But she always pushed it to the side, saying "I can ask Lady Kanako later" and preferring to just be there with Reimu until it was no longer possible.

When the Hakurei shrine maiden finally passed away from old age, Sanae took it upon herself to confront her gods. "Lady Kanako, Lady Suwako, I have a question," The green haired woman told them during the flight back to the Moriya shrine.

"What is it?" The curse goddess that was her ancestor asked, carefully tilting her odd hat downwards.

"Why am I still so young? After all these years, after all these incidents...why did Reimu die and not me?"

"Oh dear, I knew this was coming one day." Sighing, Kanako gestured and the three paused in their flight and levitated there. Sanae confusedly looked at her shrine gods and crossed her arms. "Sanae...Gensokyo isn't going to hold up for long."

"Well, yeah, I figured that out after Yukari's announcement. But what does that have to do with-?"

"We won't survive the collapse." At this, Sanae's eyes grew wide and she instinctively took a step back, despite hovering in the air. "Our faith from the tengu will drop drastically, and for any god, that's a serious blow."

"But...but you two have survived that loads of times! Your civilizations have fallen before and you-"

"Sanae, dear, that was because we could always escape and regain faith immediately somehow," Suwako cut in, floating slightly closer to her ward. She looked miserable, but Sanae had to know. "But now...the only place we can escape to is the outside world. And there's no more faith for us there. There's no future for us.

"And...to tell you the truth Sanae, we could use whatever faith we gathered over the years to search for another world and move there again. But...we spent it all."

"No," The green haired miko whispered, trying to keep in that sudden chest-tightening feeling. "Please, don't tell me..."

"Sanae, we love you so much. And so, we sacrificed our future to open up yours by spending our last faith on slowing down your age. We hope you can forgive us."

O O O

Back in the outside world...it feels like barely anything changed. Sanae groaned as she rolled out of her futon and stretched, readying herself for yet another long day at university and the coffee shop. Perhaps she should make an offering to-

Her body suddenly froze as memories flashed past her. But just as quickly, the green haired woman shook them off as long-past times and continued to get ready. There was nothing she could do for her gone gods, except live in their memory.

With a sigh, Sanae locked the door to her meager apartment and exited the building, deciding to stroll down the main street. Maybe she could even take a detour and walk under the cherry orchids? It was flower-viewing day after all.

"Hey, wait up Renko!"

"Too slow Mary, try and keep up!"

Two blurs past Sanae who barely dodged out of the way in time to see two other university students dashing back where she came. Her eyes blinked, then widened as she clutched a hand to her chest. "...Reimu?" She whispered.

And so, she followed them backwards, into her past of Gensokyo, in the wake of her goddesses, in footsteps she thought never to walk in again. To Sanae, something would always blossom in her heart; perhaps it was a miracle?


End file.
